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It has been 6 years since I gave Stan a lesson, a half hour of torture full of so many memorable moments that I have been recounting them over beers ever since. My guess was that anything that I attempted to teach Stan was lost in a matter of moments, since his retention rate was around 10 seconds, or the time it took him to rake another ball over to machine gun out onto the range. Stan epitomized the reasons there is so much turnover in golf instruction. Needless to say, I was shocked to see that Stan had called to put himself back into the book. As he walked onto the range, I took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.
Stan: Hey Wayne, whattaya know? Been a long time. How ya doin’?
Wayne: I’m doing fine, Stan. What’s up with you?
Stan: Well, you’re probably not going to believe this, but that lesson you gave me completely turned my game around.
Wayne: You mean that half hour I gave you 5 years ago?
Stan: 6 years. At first I couldn’t even hit the ball. I cursed you like you stole my dog. But after a few weeks it all started to make sense. I shot the best round of my life and my handicap just kept going down.
Wayne: That’s great, Stan. So what is it now?
Stan: You mean why am I here?
Wayne: No, I mean what is your handicap?
Stan: Oh, well it went down to a 21. It was 31 before I saw you.
Wayne: Ten strokes is pretty good, but I have to ask you why you didn’t come back? Didn’t you want to keep learning and progressing so you could keep getting better?
Stan: You gave me a lot to work on. I kept getting better and I was afraid to mess things up with more instruction. Not that you would have messed me up, but I have a tendency to freeze up when I get too many things in my head. I really need to keep it simple, you know? Like the guy I saw on the Golf Channel once- he said the best thing to do was just swing the club head. I like stuff like that. Nice and simple.
Wayne: So did you try that?
Stan: Try what?
Wayne: Just “swinging the club head”?
Stan: Sure, I tried it. Worked great for a couple of shots, then the thing started going all over the place like it usually does. I figured I wasn’t swinging it quite right, but when I tried to figure out why I wasn’t “just swinging the club head” anymore I had to think about it to fix it, which was just what I wasn’t supposed to do. Everybody seems to talk about not thinking, but most of the time if I don’t think, I suck. Then I try to think about it, and someone always says I’m thinking too much. It all gives me a headache. I remember you explained why I couldn’t hit the ball and what I should be trying to do instead of what I always do, but now it seems I’ve forgotten what made me better in the first place.
Wayne: Welcome to the world of golf. The hardest thing is to figure out how to work on your swing so it will get better, and then take it out onto the course without your head being too filled up with swing instruction. The bottom line is that it takes a lot of practice, more than most people have to dedicate to the task. So you just can’t be too hard on yourself when it comes to the pace of your improvement. You have to be patient and try to put in a good piece of work when you have the chance. The key is to be focused on what will eventually give you a better swing, because better technique will hit the ball better when you incorporate it into an athletic movement.
Stan: I was a great athlete in school.
Wayne: (Not believing a word of this). Really? What sports did you play?
Stan: Well, I was a great at kickball. We used to play at recess and I was always the first one picked.
Wayne: No kidding. What grade was that in?
Stan: Sixth, I think, or fifth. I can’t really remember. But I was good.
Wayne: Did you ever play anything where you had to throw or swing a bat?
Stan: Sure, I could really throw a ball.
Wayne: That’s great. I love to use the throwing analogy to get people to move their bodies correctly with a natural movement. Why don’t you show me a nice, hard sidearm throw?
Stan: No problem. (He takes the ball and makes a weak, ungainly overhand throw).
Wayne: No, no, watch me. (I snap off a low sidearm toss, just like I would if I picked up a slow grounder and had to whip it to first base).
Stan: All right, here you go. (He rears back and steps forward with the wrong foot, setting off a Chernobyl like chain reaction that culminates in Stan almost falling over and the ball looping backwards over my head in the direction of the clubhouse. So much for the “throwing analogy”.)
Wayne: All righty then, we’ll just forget that idea. Why don’t you just hit a few for me and I’ll film them so we can take a look.
Stan: No problem. What should I hit?
Wayne: Here’s a 6 iron. Aim it out to that blue flag. (Stan proceeds to set up with his feet lined up at least 50 yards right of the flag.)
Stan: Which swing do you want me to use, the one I’ve been using or the one you taught me?
Wayne: What’s the difference? (I don’t mention that I have no idea what swing I taught him.)
Stan: Well, your swing was a lot harder to do. You told me to set up with good posture, not move my legs too much, especially not sliding back onto the outside of my right foot, turn my shoulders on my spine angle then drive my legs 45 degrees to the left of the target while keeping my head behind the ball. I tried that for a good while, and I actually hit the ball a lot better.
Wayne: So why do you have another swing?
Stan: Well, like I said, that was hard to do.
Wayne: I told you it was a hard game.
Stan: I know, but then I saw this guy on the Golf Channel who kept saying how easy it was and how everybody was getting too technical with the swing and thinking too much. He was saying to just turn one way then back the other way and don’t worry about too much. I tried it and it worked just as well so I stopped trying to do all that other stuff.
Wayne: So what happened to that?
Stan: Well, I played OK for a few weeks then things started to deteriorate. I wasn’t thinking about much so I didn’t know where to start to fix it.
Wayne: Do you see the problem with not thinking about anything when you’re normal, natural swing is not very good? The reason the idea of not thinking worked for a while is that you had been working on and engraining good swing habits for some time and that carried over until your tendencies came back and your swing reverted to its former self. If you want to change something you have to think about it and work on it. Hitting a golf ball is not an easy task. The first thing I would ask anyone who insinuates that it is would be “what have you won lately?” I think you’ll find that most people who like to spout off theories don’t play too much, especially in competition where someone will see what they shoot.
Stan: Yeah, I kind of figured that out. Plus, I read your articles every month and you keep talking about the same things. I figured I better get some more help.
Wayne: OK, now let’s see you hit one. (Stan lines up again, even further to the right, swings, and yanks the ball back towards the flag onto the green.)
Stan: How was that? That was my swing where I didn’t think about it. Pretty good, huh?
Wayne: Just hit one more for me. (Stan lines up again, but before he can swing I place a shaft along his toe line and ask him to step back and take a look.) So, Stan, where in the world are you aiming?
Stan: What do you mean? I’m aiming at the blue flag.
Wayne: (I stand him behind the shaft and point out where it is heading.) Does that look like it’s heading for the blue flag?
Stan: Good grief. That can’t be where I was aimed.
Wayne: You set up, I put the shaft down: how could it not be where you aimed? How far to the right do you figure that is? It looks about 60 yards off to me.
Stan: Here, let me do that again. (He tosses the stick aside and once again aims way off to the right.) There. How’s that? Right at it, right?
Wayne: Why don’t I just put the club back across your feet and let’s walk back and see. (We look from behind the line and to Stan’s considerable surprise he’s still 50 yards off line to the right.)
Stan: Geez, so how do I fix that? It sure doesn’t look like that when I’m over the ball.
Wayne: We don’t really have to fix how it looks; we just have to know how to make it look. Here, I’ll change the shaft until it lines up parallel to the left of the target, which, if you set your feet on this line, will have you set up dead square. Now, just use that to line up. (Stan sets himself up with his feet against the repositioned shaft.) So, how does that look?
Stan: This can’t be right. I’m way off to the left.
Wayne: How can you be off to the left? We just fixed the shaft so that it aimed you perfectly. You are now perfectly square. This is how you need to aim.
Stan: But I’ll hit it 50 yards to the left.
Wayne: That’s just it. You probably will hit it left at first because you’re used to compensating for aiming way off to the right. You’ve been forcing yourself to pull the ball on every swing by aiming so poorly. If I aim 50 yards right and hit the ball dead straight, where will I end up?
Stan: Is this a trick question?
Wayne: No.
Stan: Then I guess I would have to end up 50 yards to the right.
Wayne: And what would you think about the shot?
Stan: Well, I probably would think that I pushed it.
Wayne: Right. Your best swing of the day and your feedback is that it was a bad shot. Now you won’t even let yourself make a good swing because a good swing will make the ball miss the target by a mile. So now you’ll make sure you come over the top and pull the next one. That’s why misalignment is such a terrible problem. If you don’t realize you’re making the mistake you try to fix it by messing up your swing. It’s an impossible situation.
Stan: So, what do I do?
Wayne: Well, now that we have the shaft lined up correctly, set your feet up against it then pick it up. (Stan does this). Now, what does it look like?
Stan: It looks way left.
Wayne: But what do we know?
Stan: We know that I’m screwed, because I’m never going to set up this way.
Wayne: No, we know that you are now square, and that if you simply remember what square looks like and you set up that way every time you will have conquered your alignment problem.
Stan: But it will still look wrong.
Wayne: It doesn’t matter what it looks like. You are going to practice it by lining up, dropping your club across your toe line to check yourself, fixing the line if it’s off, resetting your feet on the square line, picking the club back up again, then studying how your feet look when they’re square until you can do it every time. Once you’ve lined up square (parallel) to the target you will get true feedback on your shots. In other words, if you miss 50 yards left you will know that you pulled it. When you want to hit a lot of balls and work on your swing you will just leave a shaft on the ground between your feet and the ball and use it to line up correctly on every shot. That will eliminate alignment as a possible problem, and you can then work on your swing without worrying about where you are aiming. Now, go ahead and hit one
Stan: Sure thing. (Stan immediately picks up the shaft I have placed on the ground between his feet and the ball and tosses it aside).
Wayne: What the hell are you doing?
Stan: I can’t hit with that stick there. It bothers me. Watch. I’ve got it now. I won’t even need it. (He lines up 50 yards right and gets ready to swing.)
Wayne: Stan, you’re driving me crazy. Leave the shaft there and use it to line up your feet. You can’t aim without it. Take a look. (I drop the shaft across his toes again and show him how far off he is.)
Stan: All right, all right. But I have to tell you that this is most uncomfortable. I really have to be comfortable to hit the ball.
Wayne: Do you want to be comfortable or do you want to break 90?
Stan: You know how much I want to get better. Listen, isn’t there any other way to get around this?
Wayne: No.
Stan: I was afraid of that. All right, let me hit one before our time is completely up. (He hits a solid shot 50 yards left of the target.) See? If I had aimed like I usually do I would be right on the pin.
Wayne: Right and you’d also never stop coming over the top. Hit a few more, and you’ll be surprised how your swing will adjust. This will be your best chance to get rid of that loop at the top of your swing and start to get the club swinging on the correct plane. It’s the best way for you to improve quickly and it shouldn’t be that hard. I haven’t even said a word about your swing. All’s I want you to do is aim correctly; then, we can move on from there. Just practice that procedure that we did for 10 minutes every time you practice, then make sure to hit balls with a club or shaft between your feet and the ball. Check yourself every now and then on the course when you have the chance, especially on holes on which you seem to have a lot of problems. Eventually lining up square won’t look so far left, although even to me it always has to appear a little open to be correct. I suggest using a set-up routine that is consistent for every shot. I always start with my feet together with the ball placed in between them, after which I move the left foot then the right.
Stan: It shouldn’t be that complicated.
Wayne: It isn’t. It’s just taking care of details. Go through your procedure and make it a habit. The game is hard enough without screwing up the easiest part. What could be easier than setting up correctly each time? Hitting the ball is what’s hard. You need to give yourself the best chance to hit it well.
Stan: I hear you. Is there anything else we should look at before I go?
Wayne: Go ahead and set up again. I want to look at your grip. (Stan takes his address position and grips the club with a good looking left hand, but with his right hand almost hanging off.)
Stan: How’s that?
Wayne: How much pressure do you have coming from your right hand?
Stan: Not much. It said in the magazine that you were supposed to hold it as light as possible. I have been feeling a little loose at the top, though.
Wayne: Here, take your right hand off the club. I’m going to put my right hand on and I want you to see how it feels. (I place my right hand on his left and put pressure from my palm into his left thumb, pressing it into the shaft.) Do you feel that?
Stan: No.
Wayne: No? How can you not feel that? Doesn’t it feel totally different?
Stan: It’s your hand.
Wayne: (I pause for a moment, then put my hands over my face and rub hard.) What I meant was how does my right hand feel on your left hand?
Stan: Oh, yeah. It feels like it’s pressing down. It’s a lot firmer.
Wayne: Exactly. That’s what you’re missing. You have a good grip, but without enough pressure it falls apart on anything but a soft swing. You need to firm it up for your full shots. Now, go ahead and hit one. (Stan goes through his set-up procedure, (I almost faint), grips it more firmly, and rips one straight and high.)
Stan: That’s the best one I’ve hit in a year. I’ve got it now. You won’t be seeing me for a while. I’ll probably need a little tune up in a couple years. If you move anywhere, make sure to leave me your new number.
Wayne: (Laughing). No problem, Stan. I just want you to know how much I miss you in between lessons.
Stan: You’re a funny guy. And everybody says you’re too serious.